PZ Myers will be our featured speaker at the September Minnesota Atheists meeting.

Myers is an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris. His research focuses on the evolutionary developmental biology of zebrafish. He is an active critic of religion who makes no attempt to be courteous in his condemnation. Noting that Myers once “publicly desecrated a Communion wafer,” The New York Times wrote, “Myers is way out of the closet as an atheist—proudly, outrageously so.”

The Minnesota Atheists organization is honored to receive a Heart of Humanism award from Foundation Beyond Belief for our volunteer activities which are organized by a team of dedicated Minnesota Atheists members and supporters. Minnesota Atheists was one of eight team winners out of more than 70 teams among the Beyond Belief Network. The Humanist Communication Award we received comes with a $50 grant which we can direct to any 501(c)(3) organization we choose.

The Mr. Paul Aints is a team atheists can root for whether they’re from St. Paul, St. Louis, east coast, west coast, or in a different hemisphere altogether! You don’t even need to be a baseball fan or sports enthusiast to get behind this team because we above all else team atheist fun!

For the second year in a row the minor league baseball team, St. Paul Saints, will be secularized into the Mr. Paul Aints on Friday, August 9, 2013. The team’s players will wear specially designed jerseys displaying the Mr. Paul Aints name change. For the first year ever, the “A” on the Aints jersey will be in the style of the scarlet “A” made popular by the Richard Dawkins Foundation’s Out Campaign.

The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game and a portion of the auction’s proceeds will go to the Family Place homeless shelter in St. Paul. But don’t fret if you can’t participate in the auction because you can wear your atheist pride with the Mr. Paul Aints t-shirts and hats by purchasing them on our ONLINE STORE ($15 each or 2 for $25). Quantities are limited and we are not planning on ordering more, so once they're gone they might be gone forever.

Originally appeared in the St. Cloud Times (8-4-13); picture courtesy of Mary Carlson.

“With atheism there is no hope, only despair.”

At least that’s what a billboard tells us on Stearns County Road 75 near Interstate Highway 94 in St. Joseph. Of course, a lot of billboards say things that aren’t true, and to be sure, this is one of those.

Atheism and baseball is an unlikely combo, but nevertheless, the Minnesota Atheists organization is celebrating the atheist community with America’s pastime for the second year in a row. The Minnesota Atheists will again be secularizing the St. Paul Saints to the Mr. Paul Aints during their Aug. 9 game against the Sioux City Explorers. The purpose for the atheist-sponsored game isn’t to proselytize atheism or to disparage other people’s beliefs. Like last year, our agenda is simply to have fun, build camaraderie, and exhibit our happy and friendly disposition.